In the past, various forms of packaging have been proposed for use with food items of the form referred to above and examples of such packaging are disclosed in British patent specification 979302, U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,054 and Australian patent specifications AU-A-39049/89, AU-A-89900/91 and AU-A-89269/91.
A common difficulty with food items of the form described above relates to spillage that occurs while they are being consumed. It is a common occurrence that as one eats the item from one side, the contents and/or sauces or condiments within the food item spill from the other sides. This creates provides a significant disadvantage in the marketing of such products where the customers are concerned about the state of their clothing after they have consumed such a food item. It is highly desirable property of packaging which is utilised with food items of the type referred to above, that the packaging be capable of accommodating the spillage of any materials from the food item, such as sauce or condiments, and that the packaging limits the loss of contents from the food item during its consumption whereby on completion of the food item, the packaging can be disposed of together with any spillage that has occurred.
A further difficulty with food items of the form referred to above relates to the production of those items and after their production, the transferral to the packaging in which they are to be delivered to the customer. It is usual practice that the food item is assembled on a bench and on its completion is then transferred to the packaging either immediately or at the time of delivery to the customer. This method of assembly creates significant difficulties particularly where the contents between the two outer layers is bulky. It is common that during the assembly of the food item, considerable spillage can occur onto the bench surrounding the area in which it is being assembled and that on transferral of the completed food item into the packaging or to the point of delivery, further loss of contents can occur. This detracts from the need to maintain a clean environment in food preparation areas. In addition, there is the overriding requirement that during the assembly of the food items, there be minimal contact by the personnel involved to reduce the likelihood of contamination of the contents. It is highly desirable that the amount of contact with the contents being introduced into the food item and that the food item itself, be minimised.